The City Gardener: Notes on the August garden

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One or two pleasant weekend afternoons of not-too-hard labour is enough to get things back in shape

When I was little, I always felt a bit sad by August 1st, because it meant that there was officially more summer behind us than ahead of us. As a gardener, I feel that way a little bit too.

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By this time, my garden is usually looking a little bedraggled, since I never seem to have the time I’d like to truly stay on top of dying leaves or weeds or just the everyday detritus of a working city garden.

But fortunately, just one or two pleasant weekend afternoons of not-too-hard labour is usually enough to get things back in shape. Here’s my to-do list; maybe yours is similar.

Any last remaining dried bulb stalks should be gently pulled on, and if they come away easily, placed in the compost bin; if they resist, leave them alone, or you might pull out the whole bulb!

Snap off any green seedheads on daylilies, lilies or other plants that set seeds; I’d rather they turned their energies into producing stronger roots and bigger blooms next year.

Continue deadheading spent blooms from balloon flowers, daisies and other flowers that are finished (or almost finished) blooming.

By now, species daylilies (the tall kind with orange flowers that my mum derisively called “ditch lilies”) have finished flowering and are usually getting pretty unruly, like the wild creatures they are.

Cut down any spent flower stalks and dead or dying leaves, and trim the leaves that remain back to about 12-18”. I’ve found they don’t seem to mind this and it reduces mould.

Tall plants such as lilies should be tied with stakes, if they aren’t already, to prevent them snapping off from their own weight. Tighten up peonies inside their rings or stakes and string. Iris sibericas tend to flop as well and should be tied up to keep them in bounds.

If it’s not too hot, continue to fill in bare spots with container-grown plants from the nursery or corner grocery mart. Watch them carefully and don’t let them dry out until they show new growth.

If there’s any leftover topsoil still stored in the garage, spread it out under growing plants to give the garden a bit of a freshening up. A few handfuls of fresh mulch can be used to fill any bare spots left by burrowing squirrels or spent flowering bulbs.

After the burst of new growth in the first part of the season, the weeds seem to take it a bit easier once the weather gets hot. But don’t let your guard down.

In my garden, it’s not just the usual suspects, but “flaneurs” coming over from neighbouring gardens, including cosmos, larkspur, poppies, yarrow and black-eyed Susans, that begin to be a problem by mid-summer.

I don’t always mind having these take root in my garden (black-eyed Susans, which I’ve loved since childhood, are now the dominant plant of my September garden); but if you do mind, then get after them now or you’ll be digging them out forever.

We’ve had so much rain this year, I’ve only had to drag out the sprinkler a few times. I’ve been able to get away with an occasional morning soak with the spray hose, and spot-watering where needed from a watering can.

But keep a close eye on the weather and if your garden is looking parched, give it a good watering. (Your trees will be grateful for a nice drink now and then, too.)

By next month, it will be time to get back to those comparatively energetic garden chores: dividing and moving plants, planting bulbs, and generally getting things ready for fall.

But for now, we’ve still got the rest of August to enjoy these warm, lazy afternoons puttering around in the garden; savour them while you can.

Please feel free to write in with questions (if I can’t answer you, I’ll find someone who can), to comment or to share your own city gardening adventures. Write to me at marthasgarden07@gmail.com